


Tai? We need to talk

by Flexor



Category: RWBY
Genre: Post V5 end credits
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-03-25
Packaged: 2019-04-07 20:50:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,296
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14089395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flexor/pseuds/Flexor
Summary: This is in reference to the RWBY V5 post-credits end scene, where a single black feather drops meaningfully in Tai's garden as he's tending to his sunflowers. Raven's come home, but not necessarily to roost.





	Tai? We need to talk

Taiyang Xiao Long kneeled in front of one of his flower pots, and carefully removed some weeds. He poured a little water in and stood up, looking at the sunflowers. Come Summer, there would be seeds, to be sprinkled over cakes, salted for taking along on walks, ground for their oil. But for now, all they had to be was beautiful in their yellow and brown. Tai did not need their yellow colour to be reminded of his daughter Yang.

There was a noise behind him that he would have recognised in a galestorm. Tai realised that he was still breathing, and calmly walked into the house to put the kettle on. He put two cups on the tray, found the sugar pot, poured boiling water onto the leaves. He walked into the living room, put the tray on the coffee table, looked at the woman in red who was sitting on the sofa in Yang's place. Her frightening helm was on the side, turned away.

"Hello Tai," said Raven. "We have to talk."

Tai sat down on the other end of the sofa, out of arm's reach. He looked Raven over once or twice before answering.

"I remember the last time you said that."

"She's safe." Raven turned her red eyes to Tai. "For now. Ruby is safe too. Her team is safe. Haven is safe."

Tai blew out a breath he hadn't realised he was holding. "Thank you."

"Until Salem makes her next move, that is. But Cinder Fall is dead."

"Are you _sure_?"

"I should be. I killed her." Raven never showed weakness or emotion, and unless you knew her very well, you would never suspect she even had them. "She killed Vernal from behind. With some cursed Grimm claw she was using for an arm."

"That makes the second Maiden," said Tai. "Just Summer and Winter left."

Raven sneered. "You know _exactly_ why I did what I did."

"Yes."

The worst thing about war was that it forced one to choose to do things, not because they were Good or Right, but because they were necessary. A young girl had been given a power, a weapon, that was desperately needed. And she could not bring herself to wield it. In times of peace, she whould have been the perfect Spring Maiden, generous, loving, kind. But the times demanded a different kind of Maiden. Raven had tried with all her might to change her. Convince her. Train her. Show her the suffering caused by the Enemy, and her duty in defeating it.

It had broken her.

They had recognised what needed to be done, but only Raven had done it. Taken her to a quiet place and killed her. She had come back with the glow of the Spring Maiden's powers in her eyes, and walked to battle without a word. Tai and a few others had joined the fray, but in truth, Raven had saved them all that day.

"I am not judging you, Raven. I'd just like to see a _nice_ Maiden again some day. All this slaughter and bloodshed is not what Maidens are there for."

"If I die, that'll be Yang. Though maybe _nice_ isn't quite the word."

Tai gave a little laugh. If. Some things about Raven would never change. He reached out, poured the tea. He put one cup on the table in front of her, and she took it, holding it up to her face, smelling it with her eyes closed.

"How is she?" said Tai.

For the first time in Gods knew how long, Raven smiled. "She is incredible. Tore through a handful of my tribesmen like they were children, just to get to me." Raven shook her head. "And then she just wanted to borrow a portal to get to that bratty little sister of hers. I offered her a place in my tribe, Tai, and she just said 'Nope.' So I sent her off to Qrow."

"She's grown used to wearing her new arm, then?"

"Even better. She's grown used to _not_ wearing it. After my fight with Cinder, she came down without it. And still ready to fight. Why the stupid girl decided to drop it, I don't know, but she came down ready to kick anyone's butt, including mine." Raven turned to face Tai. "She is awesome. I like to think that's because she's my daughter, but you have more to do with it than I do." Raven smiled wryly. "And she hates my guts."

"I recognise much of you in her." Tai took a sip of tea. "Normally, her temper tantrums go away as quickly as they flare up. But this one's been a long time coming. Did you tell her you love her?"

"Oh _please_. She was lecturing me on what it means to be strong, for the Gods' sake. Even if I'd wanted to, she wouldn't have believed it." Raven looked away. "She's planning to stand and fight, Tai. After all you taught her, she's going to stand there, take whatever's coming for her, and give them hell. Which is good if you're facing a schoolyard bully, but _not_ if you're standing on a railroad track." Raven looked back at Tai with tears in her eyes, shocking because those tears were so rare. "She needs you, Tai. Not me, _you_. She'll never listen to me again, but maybe you can explain to her how much trouble is heading her way, now that she's picked up that damn relic."

"Are you here to take me to her?"

Raven shook her head. "If she's anything like me, she'll need time to simmer down. If I just drop you in her lap, she'll think I've done something to you." Raven emptied her teacup and put it down. "You're just going to have to find her yourself. She's at Haven Academy now, but I don't know how long she'll be safe there. I just hope my idiot brother will keep her alive."

"I understand. I'll find her." Tai moved closer to Raven, put his hand on her shoulder, pulled her to him, stroked her long black hair. "You will meet her again, Raven."

"I know. She has the Relic of Knowledge, and this..." Raven tapped the side of her head. "This comes with it. We will need to meet before the end. Maybe by that time she will have learnt enough to understand. She needs to learn things, Tai. About us, about Ozpin, Salem, the Maidens. She knows just enough to convince her that she knows it all, and she _doesn't_. A little knowledge is a dangerous gift."

"You can tell her the whole story some day."

Raven took a deep breath. "Hope springs eternal. No pun intended."

Tai held Raven a little while longer. "Shame. It was a nice one."

Raven sat up, looked into Tai's eyes. "She's beautiful."

"Isn't she?" 

 

Raven got to her feet. "I have to go. Thanks for the tea, it was nice."

"Where are you going?"

"Find my tribe. They're bound to have scattered all over the place. Sing the praises of Vernal, and give her a proper burial. Also I have to find Qrow and try to convince him I wasn't really trying to have him killed. With all the double-crossing and triple-crossing I've been doing, that might take a while." Raven picked up her helm, started to put it on, waited. "I _can_ lie, cheat, and dodge. But I hate it."

"I know."

"Give me a straightforward fight any time." Raven put on her helm. "Goodbye, Tai. Until we meet again."

"Until we do, keep safe." Tai imagined Raven smiling behind her mask.

"No promises." Raven summoned a portal, and walked through it.

"Well," said Tai, to nobody in particular. "I'd better start packing."

**Author's Note:**

> And there we have it. I like Raven. She moves outside of the good-guys-bad-guys spectrum. So now let's wait for Volume 6, and see how much I guessed right.


End file.
